This invention relates to an inkjet printer and a capping method for covering the nozzle surface of the printing head thereof, and more particularly, to an inkjet printer, which comprises a cap that is capable of maintaining an airtight seal even with a small cap load, and to the capping method for capping the printing head.
In the past, various shapes of caps to be used for capping the printing head of an inkjet printer have been proposed. For example, there is a cap having a protruding ring-shaped seal lip that is formed along the perimeter, and a partitioning lip that divides the inside of the ring-shaped seal lip corresponding to the nozzle groups (see Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-80087).
However, when the cap load when covering the nozzle surface with the cap is large, various adverse effects may occur such as deformation of the precisely processed printing portion, for example deformation of the nozzle surface, head holder or the like, and so a small cap load is desired.